10 Funny Indian Ads from Past

Indian Ads, especially from the days when the censor board was not so active are some of the funniest things you will find on youtube.

Indian Ads

What do you do when you work as a writer and are bored as heck? 

I don’t know what you guys do but somehow this day, I binged on random Indian ads. Why did I do that? I have no idea but while killing time at work and slacking off, I did enjoy myself. But regardless of much, I enjoyed I had to go back to work. 

That was a week ago but regardless of time, some Indian ad’s stuck with me. So guess what, I am here to share some of those ads so that you can kill some time and have a few giggles.

1. FeviQuick

If you lived for more than 10 years, back in the time of the TV’s you should know about this ad. 

So in this ad, a guy visits a museum and accidentally breaks a supposedly ancient flower vase. What do you think happened next? Did he get beaten? A chase scene? None of that! He got asked for money. Now you may be thinking that he got asked for a lot of money. Remember that this is an Indian ad for fevikwik – a supposed super adhesive. 

He got asked to pay Rs 5. The expression that the actor makes is so hilarious that I could feel for him. He was nervous, sad, and then finally confused. Now imagine seeing all of these emotions at once.

2. Mentos

I have failed a lot in exams. I can guess that some of you may have as well. Now when this happens, it is almost a 100% guarantee that we will get scolded by our fathers. Now imagine that but replace yourself and your father with a Chicken and a Hen.

This is basically the whole premise of the chicken ad by mentos. This ad is cutely funny. The inside jokes about “Maths mein Anda” “Sara Din chicks Ke Piche Bhagna” were where I cracked up. 

3. Center Fresh

So Center Fresh has a tagline of “Zuban Pe Rakhe Lagaam” and they use it brilliantly in this Indian ad. Sticking with the theme of a kid failing an exam let’s talk about this ad. 

A kid comes to the workshop of his father, gives the father center fresh chewing gum, and then the report card. “Papa mein phir se fail ho gaya” is what he says next. Do you remember what happened next? Anu guesses?

He gets slapped because “Center fresh Zubaan pe lagaam lagta hai- Haath pe nahi”

4. Cadbury 5 Star

Do you remember the “Ramesh? Suresh?” ad from back then? That ad had made a meme out of these two names. After watching it after all these years, I did find it to be a bit corny but funny at the same time. Imagine meeting a long-lost friend after a long time and then forgetting him because the candy was that good!

Forget that, imagine being the shopkeeper. You watch as two idiots who apparently met after a long time forget that the other person exists just because of a candy bar.

5. Melody

What is the most important question of life? Is it the meaning of life? Is it the meaning of happiness? Nope, is “Melody itni chocolaty kyun hai?”

Imagine you are in an exam and you are in the front of the class. Stressful right? Now imagine an idiot doing PSPs and calling you. On top of that, the invigilator is a strict one. 

He says to you “One question please”. This has been going on for quite a while so you ask him “what?” thinking that he might ask a question that is actually hard. Then that idiot asks “Melody itni chocolaty kyun hai?” 

Do you feel a “dafuq” moment? Well, welcome to the world of this funny Indian ad.

6. Lays

Grandma’s are some of the sweetest people in the world. However, behind that sweetness, lies experiences that can make you suffer from minimal effort. 

The concept behind this Indian ad is among some of the most original ones I have ever come across. In this ad, Ranbir Kapoor is just working on a car when a sweet and innocent-looking granny brings him some drinks. He gets to work on the broken-down car while opening a pack of lays from his workbox. Then he makes a big mistake – close the box that contains the lays that the granny has been eyeing for a while.

Guess what happens next. The granny kicks the jackscrew and locks Ranbir under the car while she sweetly eats the chips.

Never mess with sweet granny.

7. Vodafone

Ever heard of the term contagious laughter? If you have not, then watch this ad. You will know.

Those who were still watching TV in 2012, you know how cute and idiotic these Vodafone zoo ads can be. For those who don’t know the zoo ads of Vodafone use cute characters all doing idiotic things and relate them to a payment scheme, service, or messages they have to give.

This Indian ad has nothing but a bunch of these cute characters laughing but that is enough to make you laugh. 

8. Nerolac’s Indian Ad

To be honest, I really loved the message behind this ad. Regardless of how well you do, people will judge you on the basis of how you and your belongings look. 

Apart from this though, just the way this ad is presented really cracked me up. 

A postman respects everyone but the well-respected Dr. Ghanshyam – just because his house looks bad and calls him Gancho while delivering the letters. Regardless of what he does, clean or enlarge his name place, his name will always remain Ghancho. That is till he uses Nerolac the “Great paint”.

9. Imperial Blue (Music CD)

“Men will be Men ” this phrase has become controversial nowadays but back in the day, this was just a simple phrase. And Seagram’s imperial blue music CDs made the best of this sentence. 

Although almost all the Indian ads of this brand are funny, this one got the most amount of LOLs from me. Why? It is because this ad shows how men are hopeless when it comes to an angry girlfriend or an angry wife. Regardless of how macho a guy is, if he pisses off a girl he loves, he is as helpless as a small puppy- is what this ad says. The understanding look of the diamond seller is clear when he hears that the anniversary date was yesterday. Hehe

10. OLX

Is it just me or did else anyone try that Mundi Dance after watching this ad of OLX?

Although the concept is not that funny, the execution certainly is. Let’s be honest, who would have thought that you can turn an ad for online buy and sell into a musical- that too with such catchy rhymes and a dance that you can’t help but try. Watch at your own discretion. 

Final Words 

While all of these Indian ads are from the past, you have to admit that these ads are funny in one way or another. As an honorary mention, I do want to include that one ad from happy dent that made all the kids from the early to late 2000s buy and eat happy dent. That was the time before happy dent became the de facto mask for smoke breath. 

Well, these are all the Indian ads that I have included in this list but there are many more. Maybe if I am bored again I will make another list such as this.

But for now, you can check out:

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